Coffey nearly shoots Eagles to state title

GLENS FALLS — McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey watched Mike Coffey light up Amityville in the semifinals of the state Class A tournament on Saturday.

JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ

GLENS FALLS — McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey watched Mike Coffey light up Amityville in the semifinals of the state Class A tournament on Saturday.

When Dorsey found out Coffey was a reserve, the coach figured "it was the game of his life." Actually, that would come in the state championship game on Sunday at the Glens Falls Civic Center. In a devastating 76-73 overtime loss to McKinley, Coffey continued his impressive postseason run off the bench, scoring a team-high 22 points with four 3-pointers.

"I thought Coffey was tough," Dorsey said. "I was impressed and I couldn't believe he was a second-teamer, a substitute. Then he comes off the bench today, and he does the same thing. He's a gamer. I was real impressed with him."

Coffey, a junior guard, and Burke Catholic's Stan Buczek were both named to the Class A all-tournament team. If Burke Catholic had won, Coffey might have been named MVP. Coffey's 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Eagles a 60-57 lead. However, a 3-pointer by McKinley's Marcus Morris with 24 seconds left sent the game to overtime.

Coffey's state tournament show began in a 78-68 quarterfinal win over Maine-Endwell. He scored 19 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, to help the Eagles escape Binghamton High's tiny gym. Coffey scored a game-high 21 points, with 13 coming in the second half, in a 68-50 win over Amityville in the semifinals.

Likely a starter for any other team in Section 9, Coffey embraced his role as Burke Catholic's "super sub." He never griped about coming off the bench, which might be a moot point. Once Coffey gets hot, coach Doug Janeczko keeps him on the floor. He sometimes gets as many minutes as the starters.

"It's been a wonderful journey," Coffey said. "It's an experience I'll remember forever, even if we didn't win. One day I guess I will appreciate this more, but I couldn't be happier with the season. I love this team."

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